The design of school learning environments can foster, or hinder, the teaching and learning of 21st century skills. By the time students complete their compulsory education, they will have spent many thousands of hours within school buildings. The same holds true for their teachers and school leaders who all too often are obliged to adapt to existing layouts in schools, rather than shape them actively. The OECD School User Survey: Improving Learning Spaces Together gives voice to those who use schools on a daily basis. This unique OECD tool consists of three self-assessment questionnaires designed for students, teachers and school leaders. They can be used to collect and triangulate evidence on the actual use of learning spaces, as well as to solicit user perspectives.  Survey results can be used at the school level to support continuous improvement and the intelligent use or refurbishment of educational facilities. They can provide deeper insights into how physical learning environments shape teaching practices and affect students’ learning outcomes and well-being. 

1. OECD School User Survey: Improving Learning Spaces Together
Launch event
Paris, 15 June 2018
OECD School User Survey
Improving learning spaces by
empowering school users
Andreas Schleicher
Director
OECD Directorate for Education and Skills

2. Why does the design of learning
spaces matter?

3. The kind of things
that are easy to teach
are now easy to
automate,
digitize or
outsource

4. The demand for skills is changing…

5. …and will continue in an age of acceleration
• Robotics
• 3D printing
• Synthetic biology
• Brain enhancements
• Nanomaterials
• Etc.

6. Creativity Critical Thinking Problem Solving
Innovation Collaboration Data Gathering
Communication
Building the skills needed to thrive in the 21st century…

7. Character qualities
Empathy Resilience Mindfulness
Inclusion Curiosity Ethics
Courage Leadership
…and the ability to apply them successfully together

8. So learning spaces must evolve too

9. Users are also experts on school buildings
By time they are 15 years old,
the average student in OECD countries will
have spent
7,538 hours
inside school buildings
Source: OECD (2017), “Table D1.1. Instruction time in compulsory general education1 (2017)?”, in Education at a Glance 2017:
OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing

10. How do we improve learning spaces?

11. By empowering school users
STUDENTS
TEACHERS
SCHOOL
LEADERS

12. OECD School User Survey: a tool for schools

13. OECD School User Survey
Areasoffocus

14. How easy is it to use the space in different ways?
Presentation:
Layouts that support
explicit instruction/
presentation to the
whole group.
Group:
Layouts that support
approaches where
students are required
to collaborate and
work in small groups
to share ideas and
help each other.
Individual:
Layouts that support
approaches where
students work
independently to write,
read, research, think
and reflect.
Team teaching:
Layouts that support
approaches where
two or more teachers
work collaboratively
with groups of
students sharing the
same space.

15. Pilot field trial: key facts
The OECD School User Survey went to 6 schools and was completed by:
• 217 students
• 24 teachers
• 9 school principals/leaders

16. Pilot field trial: main insights
The main insights from this limited sample are that:
 Students are more satisfied with the school facilities than their teachers.
 Girls feel less safe than the boys by almost 15%.
 Teachers mostly use more than one classroom, but very rarely change
the layout – citing a lack of time.
 Teachers prefer layouts that support explicit instruction/presentation
and students working in small groups.
 School principals believe that the buildings and facilities of the school do
have a moderate effect on teacher retention and recruitment.

17. OECD School User Survey: a cyclical approach

18. OECD School User Survey:
delivers unique value to schools
The OECD School User survey is designed to:
 Provide evidence for the continuous improvement and intelligent use
of learning spaces in schools to support better learning outcomes
 Put the learner at the centre of the cycle of continuous improvement
 Empower students, teachers and school leaders by giving them a
voice in how the design of their school building meets their needs
The OECD School User survey is not designed to:
 Assess the learning outcomes of students
 Evaluate teacher performance

19. To sum up….

20. What’s next?

21. OECD School User Survey:
next steps

22. For more information
Follow us on:
Our team at the OECD Effective Learning Environments project works with school leaders, researchers and
policy makers to explore how investments in the learning environment, including the physical learning
environment and technologies, translate into improved education, health, social and well-being outcomes
www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/centreforeffectivelearningenvironmentscele/